Society
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Elite schools hold onto pathways to power
Should Oxbridge be abolished? Today, UK exam boards start checking grades. Critics say students from private schools have an unfair advantage when applying to top universities.
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Author attacks ‘obscene’ online hypocrisy
Has virtue become a performance? Yesterday, a furious debate continued after celebrated novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie launched a powerful attack on sanctimonious social media users.
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How unconscious forces control our actions
Are we controlled by unconscious forces? Today is Bloomsday, when people celebrate the life of James Joyce, modernist author and pioneer of the radical ‘stream of consciousness’.
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Anti-woke ‘alternative BBC’ is launched
Does Britain need a rival to the BBC? Last night saw the launch of GB News, a TV channel aiming to provide a populist voice countering the metropolitan media. But not everyone is convinced.
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England manager hails a summer to be proud of
Has sport become the source of our deepest values? An open letter by Gareth Southgate before tomorrow’s opening game in Euro 2020 won praise for its thoughtful version of patriotism.
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Rewriting the rules of British-US diplomacy
Is it time to ditch the term “special relationship”? As Boris Johnson and Joe Biden meet for the first time today, the nature of the UK’s dealings with the US could change dramatically.
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Robinson tweets spark ‘cancel culture’ row
Should a person’s racist past be forgiven? Yesterday, as a second cricketer was linked with offensive posts, many called for punishment. But some say we should accept that people can change.
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English under threat from verbal sandbagging
Is English being choked to death by jargon? The world’s most popular language is descending into a nightmare of meaningless baloney and hot air, one top writer claimed yesterday.
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‘I am a vessel for the story to come through’
Is the best writing based on experience? Michaela Coel has established herself as one of the most exciting talents in TV today, partly by drawing on traumatic events in her own life.
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All change please: Gen Z demands revolution
Is it time for a new revolutionary age? Hundreds of young people from 30 countries have told researchers they demand a radical transformation in politics, economics and climate action.
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Meet Gunda, the muddy ‘Meryl Streep’ of pigs
Can a pig change your life? A film following a sow raising her piglets on a free-range farm opens today. Some hope the story of Gunda will change how we think about animals.
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Winslet demands right to show her wrinkles
Should airbrushing be illegal? Today, the unrealistic representation of celebrities’ bodies is under scrutiny after Kate Winslet refused to have footage of herself doctored for television.
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The Black queen making television history
Is race a modern invention? Yesterday, a new TV drama launched with a Black actor as Tudor queen Anne Boleyn. There were many Black Tudors and experts say their race was not an issue.
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UK conversion therapy ban sparks global row
Should gay conversion therapy be classed as torture? Pride Month begins today, kicking off celebrations in cities across the world. But LGBTQ+ people still face persecution everywhere.
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The deeper causes of a mental health meltdown
Is mental illness the world’s biggest problem? The Duke of Sussex is one of a growing number of people who believe if we do not solve this crisis today, the future will be a disaster.